The Audi R8 V10 Plus Spyder Is 602bhp Of Noise And Sky

Brace yourself for loveliness: Audi has confirmed a new range-topping Spyder version of the R8 V10 Plus. That’s right; the most powerful production Audi on sale today has gone convertible. We might be having trouble with our saliva glands right now.

The 602bhp R8 V10 Plus Spyder looks absolutely stunning. The engine bay bulges menacingly and the Micrommata Green paintwork is just awesome. Combined with the forged alloy wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes, it looks the absolute business.

It’s 25kg lighter dry than the regular R8 V10 Spyder, at 1587kg. That’s partly due to the lighter wheels and carbon-backed seats, but it won’t make much difference to the performance. Speaking of speed, the Plus Spyder notches up a pretty spicy 204mph top speed, with 0-62mph dropped in 3.3 seconds thanks to quattro four-wheel drive.

The engine is the same as the one we know and love from the R8 V10 Plus coupe. Its peak power has to be worked for, sitting all the way up at 8700rpm, and even the 413lb ft maximum torque figure doesn’t arrive until 6500rpm. It’s a screamer, and surely, with the roof down, that’s just one more reason to work hard enough for long enough until you can afford one.

We don’t have any firm word on prices yet, but with the regular Spyder about £9000 more expensive than the coupe, matching that price gap would make the Plus Spyder something like £147,000. Better get saving.